


An Unstable Flame

by Harley_Quinn13



Series: Marvel [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Alien Sex, Aliens, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Asgard, Asgard (Marvel), Asgardian Original Character, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Character Death, Child Death, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fighting, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Language Barrier, Marvel Universe, Romance, Slapping, Slavery, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Suicide, Thor (2011) - Freeform, marvel spoilers, outcasts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-05-05 16:00:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14622126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harley_Quinn13/pseuds/Harley_Quinn13
Summary: Sygrid is the daughter of a well respected Valkyrie who disappeared years before Sygrid showed up in Asgard. Sygrid, battered and scarred by the alien land she came from is brought in to live and train in Asgard. That's it, right? Well, of course a certain God of Mischief feels a connection with her, to which this unstable flame begins to burn.





	1. Rikka Garthdottir

**Author's Note:**

> Dreki is Norse for Drageon, just thought I'd say that before we get started. Enjoy!!

  Many years ago, when Asgard was a less than peaceful place, there was a warrior. Rikka Garthdottir, a skillful Valkyrie, was feared across many realms and loved in her own. She fought to defend Asgard in its darkest hours. Rikka would have laid down her life for her realm without a second thought.

  But, of course, Rikka’s story does not have a happy ending.

  She perished in a land far away from her own.

  The night Rikka disappeared, creatures from another planet were sent to Asgard.

 

2

 

  On a distant planet, a king sat on his throne. His head rested on his fist as he sat, pondering, staring at the image before him, in a dark and seemingly empty room. A golden city, with blue skies and sunlight, was displayed for him. It seemed to be some sort of utopia, and he was ready to completely ruin it. With the wave of his hand, five alien servants approached the throne. Their skin was a greenish-yellow and had a leathery look to it. They had three eyes, two where eyes normally would be, and one eye in the middle of their forehead. The color of their eyes were vibrant reds or greens. Many say that their eyes served as a way to hypnotize their enemies, but that had never been proven. Four of them seemed willing to serve, the fifth looked terrified.

  The Cretian king ordered in his native language _‘Thrashelven!’;_ the portal. The servants simply nodded their heads and moved toward a large, copper-colored machine that seemed to have been rusting in the throne room for years. One servant pulled a lever, which prompted the many exposed gears to move. Above the machine, the ceiling opened, revealing three full, red, and angry moons in the dimly lit sky. The light from the moons flooded into the throne room, giving the already hellish-scape a more hellish glow. The king smiled a nasty, toothless grin.

  The gears turned more rampantly, and a glass tube filled with a strange, volcanic-looking liquid. The king sat back and watched as a servant reached up and grabbed the tube and stared at it fearfully. The servant looked to his king, who simply nodded, which prompted the servant to raise the glass tube with quivering hands to his lips. _‘Ieash!’;_ get on with it.

  The servant merely nodded once more and guzzled down the bubbling, magma-like drink. After the first few gulps, the servant stopped and clutched at his gut, dropping the glass container and falling to the ground. He coughed and coughed, losing control of almost every muscle in his body. Everyone stood and watched, anticipating what would come of this. Eventually, after several minutes of dry coughing and violent hurling noises, a pool of red poured from the man’s mouth and onto the stone floor, spreading out and yet still pooling bellow the man. He then collapsed beside the pool.

  Servants gathered around the pool of dyed guts in a circle, holding metal rods in their right hand. The king stood from his throne and slowly approached the circle. The servants banged the rods on the floor before shouting a simple _‘Craiine!’_ There is no need for a translation of this phrase however, for it is a simple word; a name. More specifically, the name of their king. Craiine joined the circle and, with one hand, poured a boiling liquid on the body of the sacrificed man, with the other, he held up the metallic rod.

  _“Dahnia, vietz chalih. Tranzvell autra Asgourd! Hieth, yon, frieth bonnz de lammenza! Frieth nu oggartz draht prefghage!”_ This was a simple incantation in their native language. Craiine was praying for safe passage, and he was hoping for more than just treasures this time. Oh no, he didn’t even want the city just yet. He wanted a bride. A queen.

  An orange hue emerged from the pool of guts as it rippled and became something else. Below the surface was no longer the stone floor of the castle, it was, instead, a back alley in Asgard. And it just so happened to be the back alley that Rikka Garthdottir would find herself walking down only a few moments after the portal is closed and the Cretians get in.

 

3

 

  Rikka found herself wandering the streets of Asgard late one night. Her head was fuzzy, and she was tired, but couldn’t bring herself to fall asleep just yet. She had a few too many drinks. She stumbled down an alley, her grace and agility were nowhere to be found.

  The streets were extremely quiet that night, with the only noises sounding distant and faded, muffled almost. The moon, much like the three on Cretia, was full and had a slight red tint to it. A blood moon for a bloody night. The golden city was lit up by torches in the night, with a few guards patrolling the main roads, but never the alleyways, and Rikka knew this. She planned on staying out for a few more hours before heading to her home, but of course the guards would try to take those next few hours away from her. She scoffed at the thought.

  Leaning against the brick wall behind her, she found herself unsheathing her sword and staring at the reflections of light in the blade, amused by the twinkling golden that was just out of reach. In her drunken state however, this did not stop her from reaching. Her bare hand, the left one, traced along the blade, which eventually came into contact with the serrated edge, thus cutting her left hand open. She hissed and withdrew both her hands quickly, dropping her sword in the process with a loud and heavy _CLANK!_ She cradled the bloodied hand in her right hand and stared at the sword with intensity and confusion.

  “The beast bit me.” She stated, slurring her words but still keeping her bewildered and disappointed tone. She looked at her sword like a child who was bitten by their own pet dog. The sword stared up at her with twinkling eyes that tempted and taunted her.

  “You’ll… you will pay for that.” She then looked down at her hand, then back at her sword.

   “Stop staring at me… li…” She then giggles, forgetting her next sentence. Dreki Fang, her sword, simply sits in the alley as Rikka begins to walk away.

  Something up ahead had intrigued Rikka. A wall that glowed orange instead of gold. In her impaired state, she decided to walk toward it; unarmed, wounded, and drunk. The yellow, leathery, four-armed creatures stepped out of the wall, throwing Rikka off. The servants from Cretia observed their surroundings and kept their king’s orders in mind. They were hunched over and almost animalistic in their movements. They took breaths in giant huffs and their arms moved separately, making it seem like they had a mind of their own.

  The creatures’ appearances were enough to scare Rikka a bit closer to being sober, but not quite enough to scare her completely sober. She took a step back, still tripping on her own feet. Had she known any better, she would have called for help. Brought these things to the patrol guards’ attention. But she didn’t know any better. She was drunk and feeling ballsy.

  Tripping over Dreki Fang before regaining her balance and reaching for the previously discarded blade.

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Coming… c… coming here… st… stepping o… out of our walls?” By the time she made this stupid comment, the Cretians had already noticed her. They had begun to advance, remembering their king’s command. He wanted a bride. To them, Rikka had seemed to be female, but what would they know? She was close enough to Cretia’s females, so this creature must do, right?

  Three of the servants approached her, one crawling up the wall in order to get behind her, the other two going on either side of her. The last one, however, stood far enough from her so she couldn’t immediately attack him, but not too far to where he could be seen. Rikka twirled Dreki Fang in her hand, loosely holding onto the handle as it spun dangerously by her side. The servant farthest from her took note of her wounded left hand and communicated with the other three silently about it.

  “Well?” She asked arrogantly. The Cretian servant to her left went to make a move, prompting Rikka to swing her sword to the left of her. Dreki Fang sliced right through the servant’s lower right hand. He screeched and held his wrist, in his pain, he seemed to have forgotten about Rikka, who then brought Dreki Fang down on his head, silencing the creature, but distracting Rikka long enough for the Cretian to the right of her to sneak up on her from behind. He grabbed her with all four of its arms, the lower two went around her waist while the upper two wrapped around her mouth.

  Rikka struggled in his grasp, thrashing in every direction imaginable to shake off her attacker. Of course, most of her attempts failed. She then thrust her head back, attempting to break her attacker’s nose, this failed but threw the Cretian off long enough for Rikka to back him into a wall, causing him to let go of her. She stumbled as the world around her began to spin. She knew she had to snap out of it, the Cretian was snapping out of his shock. Quickly, Rikka buried Dreki Fang deep in the chest of the invader.

  However, the third Cretian was sitting on the wall behind Rikka, ready to pounce. So when she drew her sword back, it did just that, landing almost directly on her. Rikka fell to the ground, scraping her knees and arms as she fell. The Cretian flipped back to the above, where it planned on attacking again. This time, Rikka rolled away from the creature as he leaped at her. She grabbed her sword and prepared to fight again, but this time, the Cretian was on top of her, not bothering to leap at her again. She used Dreki Fang as a way to block him from defeating her. Her wounded hand resided on the hilt, while her right hand—the protected hand—held onto the actual blade.

  Both of the Cretian’s upper hands were on the hilt, while the lower hands were being cut open by Dreki Fang’s blade. However, the servant seemed unaffected by the cuts he was now receiving. It was as if he had been through worse pain before. The pressure being exerted on the blade was almost too much for Rikka, but she was able to hold her own for the time being. That is, until the fourth and final Cretian servant revealed himself again. All four metal rods were held in his hands. The servant on top of her pushed the blade closer to her neck.

  _“Tenchau.”_ He said to her through clenched teeth. Surrender. Even if Rikka could tell what he was saying, she would never surrender to them. She kicked the servant off of her and rolled onto him, holding the blade closer to his neck than he had put it to hers. By now, she was almost out of her intoxicated state, and could understand what was going on.

  “I’d suggest you leave while you still can.” She hissed. The Cretian below her suddenly went silent. And in those few moments of silence, the fourth Cretian had already snuck up behind her and hit her in the back of the head with all four metal rods in one hand, knocking her unconscious.

 

4

 

  The next day, the people of Asgard, mostly Rikka’s closest friends, had noted her absence. She would never be heard from again. The only remnants of her being her own blood on the alleyway street and the dust from the dead Cretians.

  However, during her time on Cretia, Rikka gave birth to a baby girl, Sygrid, who would be the last remnant of Rikka. Sygrid Craiinedottir, daughter of Rikka Garthdottir and, much like her mother, a fierce warrior who fought for Asgard.


	2. Chapter 2

  Word had spread like wildfire the day she was found. There were whispers about her being the great warrior Rikka Garthdottir, a Valkyrie who had mysteriously vanished seemingly overnight. But the girl, however, was too young to be Rikka. Instead, those who saw her arrive speculated that Rikka disappeared out of shame and gave birth to a daughter in secret, or they questioned her relation to Rikka.

  The girl looked solemnly at the ground as Thor and the Warriors Three escorted her through the streets. Her face was dirty and bruised, as was the rest of her. Her golden hair was matted, which made it appear much shorter than it really was. She was unsure of how to react to the people around her. She was hardly frightened, but she was, however, made uncomfortable by the presence of so many people. They whispered and stared at her, pointing, the look of shock present on all of their faces.

  Sygrid could hardly understand all of the fuss about her. She was never considered this important on her birth planet, and while she does have Asgardian blood, she was not born there. Everyone was watching her, yet she could hardly remember any of their faces. She could hear the soft murmur of the crowd as she passed. Some words were more audible than others, yet the one that stood out was the name of her mother. Yet the name did not bring good memories.

  For almost 1,010 years, Sygrid was trapped on Cretia with no hope or an idea of the life she could have had. The only time she ever heard her mother’s name was when the Cretian guards called upon her, she would always return in worse condition than she left. Sygrid was barely two hundred years old by the time her and her mother were separated.

  Thor led her through the crowd of people, toward the palace, with the Warriors Three behind her. The doors swung open, and Sygrid was greeted by a large and spacious golden room. Large pillars held up the roof above her head and were on either side of her. The floors were cleaner than any floors she had ever seen or been welcomed to walk on without having to clean them. Sygrid was being welcomed into this beautiful place without the expectation that she should clean it, or without the danger of being killed for noncompliance.

  Odin sat upon the throne, a cascading sliver of light shone on him, making him seem angelic to the girl. Everyone in the room seemed angelic and saint-like. Thor bowed without a second thought and the Warriors Three followed swiftly. Sygrid was left standing confusedly, staring at the room around her.

  “Father, I believe we’ve found Rikka. I am still not quite sure if it is her, she does seem to be rather young.” Thor stated. Odin leaned forward and looked closely at her.

  “You found her on Cretia?” He inquired. Thor nodded. Sygrid watched closely as a shadow moved across the wall to the right of her, behind the massive pillars. She muttered a phrase in Cretian.

  “ _Af Haunzen_.” ‘ **A man**.’ She sounded confused yet mesmerized.

  “Does she speak English?” Odin inquired. Thor shrugged.

  “She seemed to understand us when we rescued her.” Sygrid began to walk away, stepping toward the pillars like a small child who found something new to play with.

  “Rescued?” Odin inquired. The room suddenly fell silent. Sygrid was still staring at the man, and Thor was wondering how to explain the situation on Cretia.

  “She was a slave. We aren’t sure, but if she isn’t Rikka, she most certainly is related to her. And if she isn’t Rikka, she might have been born into slavery.” Thor explained. Odin turned his attention to Sygrid, who was turned away from everyone.

  “Tell me girl, do you know of Rikka?” He inquired. Sygrid turned around to face him.

  “ _Rikka? Haulfnon materl._ ” Sygrid attempted to explain. When there was no response, she attempted English.

  “Rikka… mother.” She said in broken English. There was a sigh that echoed through the hall. Thor looked over at the girl and began to question her.

  “Rikka is your mother?” He asked. She nodded.

  “Is she still on Cretia?” He continued to question. Sygrid looked away, a look of pain in her eyes.

  “ _Nif._ No.” She told him.

  “She left you there?” He half shouted. Sygrid couldn’t quite understand what he was saying, but she could tell it wasn’t good. Thor looked up at his father.

  “Your warrior would leave her child on such a violent planet?” Thor spat. The shadow was back, this time on the right side of the throne. It was, indeed, a man. He stepped into the light, revealing himself to the girl.

  He was tall and slim and pale, with black hair that was slicked back and out of his face. He wore clothing decorated with the colors black, green, and gold. He stared at her, then at Thor, before speaking.

  “Perhaps that’s not what she means.” He spoke with a voice like silk, even if Sygrid couldn’t understand it.

  “Your brother may have a point.” Odin stated. Thor scoffed as Loki approached the girl. She flinched away initially, much like she did when Thor had found her on Cretia. He simply smiled at her and waited for her to become more comfortable.

  “ _Rikka olivto treddugh Craii. Haulfnon gashta vi auf brough ti._ ” Sygrid told him. He furrowed his eyebrows and Sygrid felt herself become overly frustrated, tears filled her eyes as she groaned.

  “Rikka didn’t leave Cretia. She was called and didn’t come back.” He translated. Sygrid looked at him in shock, as did Thor.

  “Since when did you know Cretian?” Thor asked, bewildered.

  “There’s plenty that you don’t know about me, brother.” Loki told him before returning his attention to Sygrid.

  “ _Glaugh ton briize klauften ‘Haulfnon gashta vi auf brough ti?’”_ He asked her what she meant. Sygrid did not hesitate to speak this time.

  “ _Haulfnon gi sleren. Kaugh eth._ ” Sygrid answered. Loki sighed before translating.

  “She was a slave, like her.” He stated quietly. The room fell silent once more. It was safe for them to assume that Rikka was dead, now that they knew what Rikka had become on Cretia.

  “We have to put a stop to this.” Thor gripped Mjolnir in his right hand and began to march toward the doors. He was alone, for once. The Warriors Three stood and watched as Thor made his way to the door, they knew what Odin would say.

  “I forbid you to go to that planet!” Odin bellowed. Thor stopped in his tracks and turned to face his father. This would not be the first time Odin forbid one of Thor’s adventures, nor would it be the last.

  “This should not be an argument. They enslaved one of our own! Tortured her and her child! Why should we sit and wait and let this madness continue?” Thor questioned. Odin stood and made his way to his son.

  “I forbid it.” He told him. Thor watched as his father walked away with a defiant glint in his eye.

  “You forbid our last journey to Cretia, and look at what we discovered!” Thor mentioned, making Odin stop in his tracks and turn back to his son.

  “Yes. I did, and you found a girl that does not speak a word of English! All she’s given us is a reason not to return. There is no reason to go back, Rikka is dead and we have retrieved her daughter. We have our answers and more.” Odin explained with an angry edge to his voice. Thor smiled. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, a large torch skidded across the floor, landing between the two arguing figures. Everything went silent for a moment; Thor looked down at the large and heavy torch briefly before returning his gaze to his father, who was beginning to turn around. Suspecting that this was done by Loki, Thor decided to distract Odin.

  “Of course, father. I will stay.” Thor states through gritted teeth. Odin eyes him wearily before returning to the throne. By the time he returned, however, Sygrid was gone.

 

2

  Loki watched in silence as his father and brother argued. He took note of his brother’s stance on the issue as well as taking note of the girl that stood beside him. The whispers on the streets were almost of no use to him. Almost. There was more to Sygrid than what meets the eye.

  As the shouting continued, Loki noticed how uncomfortable Sygrid was becoming. She cringed with each echo, each emphasized syllable caused her to visibly shrink back. The Warriors Three began to walk toward Thor and Odin, leaving Sygrid and Loki alone. And just as his father finished shouting about her, she launched one of the larger torches into the air with the flick of her hand. She stood afterward, breathing heavily, obviously frightened. Loki took her hand and led her off to the side, where he encouraged her to leave.

  “Go.” He muttered. She looked back at him, confused.

  “ _Maul?_ ” She inquired. Having no time to explain, he gave her a shove, hoping that she’d understand. When she looked back at him, he repeated himself.

  “ _Vater.”_ He commanded in Cretian. She simply nodded at this before taking off. Now his suspicions were confirmed, but he had to keep his father from finding out about her powers. She had to be kept a secret now, nobody could know.

  He watched as she ran down the hall, she would hopefully keep running, and Loki would be able to isolate her. After he was sure she was far enough, he turned around and began to ascend the steps surrounding the throne. Everyone stood, confused and watching as Loki returned to the room. Everything was silent, and everyone had become suspicious.

  “Where is the girl?” Odin inquired sternly. Loki pointed to the hallway.

  “She ran off. I tried to follow her, but by the time I got to the hallway she was gone.” Loki lied. Odin eyed him, he knew his son was lying, yet he refused to say anything. It didn’t matter, the girl was gone now, and Loki had something to do with it.

 

3

 

  Sygrid had managed to run far from the throne room, yet she was still inside the boundaries of the palace. She found herself walking down a dirt pathway, surrounded by lush greenery. She had never seen this much green in her life, seeing as Cretia was mainly composed of rock formations and volcanoes. Her hand reached out to touch the soft petals of a pink rose before quickly withdrawing out of fear. Most things on her home planet were rough and hot to the touch, yet the petals felt cool and velvety.

  After realizing that the rose was safe to touch, she cupped the rose between her hands, feeling it as it squished between her fingers. She stopped for a moment, checking within the bush behind the flower to be sure that the flower wasn’t a trap before determining that it was safe. She pulled on the stem and plucked the rose from the shrubbery. She brought it closer to her face and smelt it, taking in the comforting smell.

  She stared at the flower, wide-eyed. She found herself to be enjoying her time alone, even if she were miles upon miles away from what she was familiar with. She could never call Cretia her home, but it was what she was used to.

  Sygrid was stuck in a world that was unfamiliar to her. She couldn’t understand the native people and they couldn’t understand her, yet she found comfort in the small flower in her hands. For once she didn’t feel scared, she didn’t feel like her life was threatened. She finally had a moment to herself. As she stood there, staring at the flower, a person approached her from behind. They placed their hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

  She turned around, startled, only to see Loki standing behind her.

  “ _Sidyous, rith eth._ ” He told her in a gentle voice, simply stating ‘hey now, it’s me.’ Sygrid relaxed but only slightly.

  “ _Eth vich sloven nie._ ” ‘I hardly know you.’ She stated. He smiled at her before taking her hand and turning her to face him.

  “ _Jevva, eth ma Loki._ ” He introduced himself. Sygrid merely stared at him, she couldn’t find it in her to fully trust him.

  “ _Eth ma Sygrid. Cath ven eitter._ ” She told him, adding that it shouldn’t matter to him. He let out a breathy laugh at her attitude.

  “ _Sygrid, ath? Houth ae Asgourdia nai, frik af Craii._ ” Loki continued. Sygrid tilted her head, smiling back at him.

  “ _Glentau wea, materl Rikka, ae Asgourdia vanen._ ” Sygrid countered. Loki nodded before deciding to pry further into the matter.

  “ _Rikka gi sleren. Nie virth Craii?_ ” He asked, questioning if she was born on Cretia. Sygrid nodded.

  “ _Yee._ ” Yes.

  “ _Haulfnon gree coulshton._ ” Sygrid continued to tell him that Rikka had been there for years before she was born. He nodded, and as she opened her mouth to speak again, he stopped her.

  “ _Nof splech, eth soud af trecsh fou angliesh._ ” He told her that he had found her a teacher to teach her English. Sygrid smiled and looked down.

  “ _Cayye._ ” A simple phrase: thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

  The morning sun gleamed on the windowsill of a small room. A brilliant golden coated the otherwise brown tile floor. A cool breeze tumbled through the window and gently blew on the reddish purple drapes. It was a typical morning in Asgard; beautiful and calming.

  Sygrid sat up in bed, her eyes slowly opening and adjusting to the brightness of her room. She had been in Asgard for months now, yet she was still not used to the harshness of their sun when compared to the one on Cretia. The air became a bit chillier, and she realized that she had left the window open from the night before. With a sigh, she slid out of bed and made her way to the window, promptly shutting it in hopes that no one had already noticed that it was open.

  In all fairness, Sygrid was not even allowed to open the drapes. Instead she would rely on the low-light of the candles spread throughout her room. The room itself wasn’t very big. It contained her bed and a small wardrobe that sat across from it. It held a few articles of clothing, mostly silk nightgowns and daytime dresses, not that she was allowed to go outside. Beside the wardrobe, against the wall, was a small writing desk. The desk also just so happened to be by the window. Sygrid would stay up late, studying what she had learned that day, but after a while she would get bored. Due to her curiosity and urge to explore the beautiful new world she was brought to, she would peak through the drapes and stare at the night sky.

  There was a knock at her door, and Sygrid knew immediately who it was. She shut the drapes as quickly as she could and, in the darkness, searched for a match. She closed her eyes, realizing that there was no time to wait, and felt the area. Not physically, but in a way that was beyond any level of comprehension, not even Sygrid understood how she could do it at first. She lifted her hand and waited, and in an instant, the match was in her hand.

  “Lady Sygrid?” Sygrid quickly lit the match and brought it over to the candle located on the writing desk. She ignited the candle and stood up straight, waiting for the inevitable.

  “Lady Sygrid?” The door slowly creaked open. A tall woman with black hair and pale skin entered the room. She looked around, secretly searching to see if there was anything off about the room, before laying her eyes upon Sygrid. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “There you are. You had me worried.” She said as she closed the door fully, completely cutting off any source of outside light. She waited for her eyesight to adjust before looking at Sygrid again.

  “Did you just wake up?” She asked, her voice sounding slightly disappointed. Sygrid looked down, realizing she was still in her silk nightgown.

  “I apologize.” Sygrid said, truly feeling sorry. The woman smiled at her. It was a familiar, comforting smile that Sygrid knew she had seen before her many lessons with the woman, but could not place where she had seen it.

  “No need to apologize, I did arrive rather early this morning and for that I should be apologizing.” The woman explained.

  “You’re improving, there’s less of a heavy Cretian accent when you speak.” She beamed. Sygrid felt an overwhelming sense of pride in that moment. Because of how badly she wanted to forget about Cretia, Sygrid opted to change her speech completely. She wanted no trace of an accent, nothing. She wanted to seem like she was born and raised in Asgard, as she felt she should have been.

  “Don’t I have to change?” Sygrid asked. Her mentor shook her head.

  “It isn’t that important.” She stopped to look at her.

  “And green suits you.” She continued, with and undertone that felt nothing like her usual self. She walked toward Sygrid, quickly brushing past her in order to retrieve something from within the desk. Sygrid looked down at her gown, laughing a bit to herself.

  “I suppose it looks good.” She said, unsure of whether she liked it or not. The fact that she could never truly see herself didn’t help her in this matter. Suddenly, the thought of the light caused her to wonder. Sure, it was almost blinding that morning, but Sygrid couldn’t help but ask about the possibility of opening the drapes.

  “Why do I have to keep the curtains closed?” Sygrid asked, genuinely curious. The woman turned around, staring at Sygrid with furrowed eyebrows.

  “Why do you ask?” Sygrid fidgeted with her skirt.

  “Well I simply found it to be a bit odd. I’m sure the people of Asgard don’t live in constant darkness as I do, the whole point of you teaching me is so I could be like them, and I don’t see how being shielded away from the world like this will ever help me. I just want to finally open the curtains, I won’t leave, I just want to see the outside world from inside.” Sygrid explained. As she finished, she moved to peek outside the window. The woman, however, grabbed her hand before she could do so.

  “I cannot allow you to do so. The king ordered that you live in a distraction-free area so you could learn.” She told her. Sygrid pulled her hand out of her grasp and huffed.

  “But Sigyn-”

  “No.” Sigyn responded, laying papers on the desk.

  “Now I need you to study these, copy them. Learn the letters and what they represent.” Sygrid looked at the sheets of paper, squinting.

  “I can’t see them; it’s too dark.” Sygrid stated. Sigyn sighed, only to open the curtains in an irritated fashion. Her harsh greenish-blue eyes bore down on Sygrid after the deed was done.

  “There. Better?” She asked, her tone of voice dripping with venom. Sygrid looked back down at the pages, then back up at her mentor, nodding.

  “Yes, thank you.” Sygrid said, smiling. Sigyn stared at her for a moment, staring at her innocent smile, her eyes that gleamed. Sigyn couldn’t help but smile back.

  “I’ll be back at noon. Be ready.” She explained before turning around and walking out of the room. Normally she stayed with Sygrid, listening to her talk and after she was finished with her work they would sit around and just enjoy each other’s company. But not that day. That day, she found herself becoming weak. She had to pull away before she did something stupid. Stupid like letting her outside, and allowing Odin to find her.

 

2

 

Sygrid placed her pen down hours after lady Sigyn’s visit. She carefully read over what she had written, which was a summary of her day and daily activities. Once she had determined that she had written a sufficient amount, she looked to her right. She saw green again. Shrubbery sat just below her windowsill and trees lined the walkway. She was always so amazed by the amount of life that surrounded her.

  She stood, opening her wardrobe to finally change. There were a few day time dresses, all of them were different in design, color and texture. Now that she could see, she was going to try on each of her dresses. Her hand glided along the sheer train of a turquoise dress. The color seemed to call out to her, and even though she had felt the fabric a million times, she felt as if she were discovering the dress for the first time. She slid out of her silk nightgown and grabbed the dress, pulling it over her head and looking at herself in the mirror that was on the other side of the wardrobe door.

  Her blonde hair, that just months ago was tangled and just barely reaching below her shoulders, cascaded down her back. Locks of her hair on either side of her head were braided back and away from her face. Her gaze trailed down to the dress, which was loose and flowing. This dress lacked a belt or sash around the waist, which the other two dresses had. The train was gracefully draped from her shoulders and reached the floor, trailing behind the skirt of the dress.

  She suddenly felt a surge in her self-esteem. She had never really seen herself before, and this was the first time she could truly observe herself. However, she closed the wardrobe door and returned back to the desk. She stared at the pen before lifting her hand and bringing it to her with her mind. She dragged the piece of paper closer and wrote down her experience.

_Begging lady Sigyn to allow me to open the drapes was the best thing I could have done; for both myself and my handwriting. Over the months it seems to be getting neater, and hopefully it will only progress from there. In the light, I have been able to see the vibrant colors of my dresses, the one I am wearing today just so happens to be my favorite. The color is absolutely stunning!_

 

   Sygrid put the pen down once more and returned her gaze to the window. This time something else caught her gaze. There was a figure outside, casually strolling down the walkway. Sygrid thought that no one used this walkway and was shocked to see someone outside. She stood and took hold of the curtains, watching as they approached. As they got closer, she realized who it was. The younger prince; the man who had given her this room and had given her the teacher that she desperately needed. Loki.

  She swiftly shut the curtains, wanting to avoid drawing attention to her. After all, lady Sigyn had told her that the Allfather himself had ordered her to be hidden, and of course if Loki saw that she had the curtains open he would tell, wouldn’t he? She backed up into the corner, her hand on her racing heart. The feeling was not unfamiliar to her, but the circumstances surrounding it was. She wasn’t afraid, on the contrary. If anything she was more saddened that she couldn’t draw attention to herself. After all, the least she could do is thank him in his native language and prove to him that what he had done worked.  

  Yet for some reason, the mere thought of him had made her heart flutter. It wasn’t the first time she had thought of him, how could she not? He was one of the only people who understood her when she first came to Asgard, in a way this caused her to think about him often.

  She peeked through the drapes again, only to see that he was gone.

 

3

 

  It was almost noon. Sigyn had told Sygrid that she’d be back by then.

  Loki strolled down the back walkway, the one that passed Sygrid’s window. He knew that she saw him because as he approached, she closed her curtains. He smiled to himself, finding it amusing that she truly believed that Odin ordered her to be hidden. After all, her teacher never mentioned what the punishments for breaking this rule would be. That’s because there was no such rule.

  He entered the hallway that led to her door, standing before it, and changing his form. His hair became longer, falling to the small of his back. His waist became smaller, his chest fuller. His clothing morphed into a green gown.

  Sigyn was at Sygrid’s door, ready to check on her for the last time that day.

 


	4. Chapter 4

  Sygrid sat at her window, staring out at the beautiful blue skies, a book in her hand. She had gotten halfway through the book before getting distracted by the mere sounds of birds chirping. She was grateful for being able to keep the curtains open, but there was always a sense of longing she felt. She wanted to leave her small, semi-cramped room and go outside. She wanted to feel the grass beneath her feet and experience all that Asgard had to offer her.

  She sighed as she placed her book down on the desk. She knew it was not meant to be. There wasn’t much she could do in her room, but of course she had to stay there, the king had ordered it. Although she didn’t understand why. Why must she be stuck in a room? What did she do to deserve this?

  She had to think back to her first day in Asgard, and there she would try to find her answer.

 

2

 

 

  It had been six months since the girl was brought to Asgard, and she had been missing for six months. Thor didn’t understand. The girl couldn’t have run far, she didn’t speak English and she would have been found easily. Yet for some strange reason she had avoided capture.

  Although, he supposed capture wasn’t the word for it.

  He feared that she misunderstood him and his father that day, they only wanted to help her. She ran off while they were arguing and they hadn’t seen her since. It was almost as if she had dropped off of the face of the planet. He doubted she had left through the Bifrost, there was no way she’d be able to leave.

  _“Had she gone to the Bifrost, Heimdall would have stopped her and told father.”_ Thor thought to himself as he neared the bridge. He stopped.

  “Heimdall.” Thor muttered before running off. He must have completely forgotten about how Heimdall could have helped, and he found himself wondering why he didn’t immediately ask Heimdall about her whereabouts.

  He finally made it to the golden observatory on the edge of their world. Heimdall could be seen inside, standing by the gate silently. Thor approached him, hoping that he had seen the girl at some point. Heimdall did not turn around, for he already knew why the son of Odin was there.

  “I have not seen the girl since she arrived.” He spoke. Thor tilted his head in disbelief.

  “That’s impossible. Even if she weren’t here—”

  “Something is stopping me from seeing her.” Heimdall’s words echoed in Thor’s head. Thousands of questions arose from this simple comment. Who had her? Who was powerful enough to hide her from Heimdall? Why was she so important? And why hide her? Whoever had her must have come to the conclusion that they’d get some sort of leverage from hiding her, right? Thor snickered to himself. The only reason why he wanted to find her was because he wanted to know she was safe. Knowing that she was Asgardian was enough to make him care about her wellbeing. He was to be king, and a king must care for his people, right? Needless to say, Odin didn’t care as much as Thor did, and the only reason why Odin would take notice of this fiend is due to their powerful magic, not because of the girl.

  Thor knew who he’d question first, and he didn’t know why he hadn’t bothered to start with him. After all, he was the God of Mischief, he had to know something about this.

  He stormed through the palace’s golden halls in search of Loki. Thor knew where he would be considering he had already searched the libraries and the gardens, he figured Loki would be in his room. He rushed toward the large, oak door at the end of the hall, hoping to find his brother there. Even this wasn’t Loki’s doing, perhaps he could help Thor find the person who was at fault for the girl’s disappearance.

  Thor pounded on the door.

  “Loki!” He shouted. When there was no answer he went back to banging on the door.

  “Loki open the door!” Thor demanded impatiently. Yet again, there was no answer. He huffed and raised his fist again, only for the door to be thrown open. Loki stood before him, still in his sleepwear, with an annoyed expression on his face. Thor crossed his arms.

  “Long night?” He asked dryly. Loki rolled his eyes.

  “What do you want?” Thor looked down, trying to find the right way to word this. He didn’t want to sound too accusing but… if there was any chance Loki was behind this he’d have to find out at some point and he doubted that asking him directly would get him anywhere. After all, Loki was the god of lies.

  “The girl that went missing. I want to find her; I think she may be in danger.” He explained. Loki turned away, his hands behind his back. Thor followed him into his room.

  The area was spacious and neat, a direct contrast to Thor’s room which was often cluttered with a different array of things ranging from clothing to weapons. Loki’s room had a single window across from the door with dark green drapes framing it. The curtains were open, revealing a beautiful view of the Asgardian landscape and sky. His bed was against the left wall and was a canopy bed with beautiful green drapes surrounding it. The curtains had a gold trimming on them, matching the blankets on the inside, which were not yet made.  A nightstand was located beside it with a small candle on it along with a book or two. A chest was situated at the end of his bed that held who-knows-what.

  “And you assume I had something to do with it? Are you sure she didn’t wander off and find the Bifrost?” Loki questioned. Thor shook his head.

  “I asked Heimdall. He said that he couldn’t see her since she arrived. Someone’s been hiding her, Loki.” Loki turned to face his brother, glaring.

  “So you do suspect me.” He inquired. Thor nodded.

  “I don’t believe that you did it, and I don’t want a reason to believe so. All I ask is that you help me capture the person who’s behind this.” Thor offered, sticking his hand out. Loki stared at it for a brief moment before looking up at Thor suspiciously.

  “You want my help?” He asked in disbelief. Thor nodded again.

  “Believe it or not, you’re the only one I can trust to help me find her.” Thor said. He immediately regretted this, seeing as he wasn’t completely telling the truth. In that moment, he wondered how his brother could lie to others with such ease. Loki finally took his hand.

  “Fine.” He stated, not completely believing Thor. But if he could turn the suspicion away from himself, then perhaps he could get away with this. Thor flashed him a smile.

  “We’ll get started as soon as you get dressed.” Thor told him as he left, slamming the door behind him and leaving Loki alone, dreading what was to come.

 

3

 

   Sygrid sat alone in her room, staring out the window once more. She felt trapped. Not quite as trapped as she had on Cretia, there was no way to feel like that where she was, but… she still longed to be on the outside. To finally go outside and look into her room instead of sitting there and looking out of it. It had been a long time since she’d been outside, too long. She feared that if she were to stay in there for much longer she’d go mad. Luckily, her savior was on his way.

  She jumped as she saw Loki walk down the path again. Normally she would shut the drapes and hide, but for some strange reason, this time she felt compelled to watch him. He’d walk down this way every day, normally right before Sigyn arrived. She watched wearily as he looked around. It seemed like he was making sure he was alone, and as soon as he realized he was a green, glittering glow enveloped him. He walked out of it, leaving a clone of himself alone to walk in the other direction. Sygrid’s jaw dropped and she scurried out of her seat. The only time she had seen something like that done was on Cretia, and she feared that they had found her.

  There was a sudden loud pounding on her door. Sygrid backed up, frightened by the loud noise.

  “Sygrid!” Shouted a female voice. It was Sigyn. Sygrid rushed to the door to unlock it, and as soon as the latches were undone the door swung open, revealing a frightened Sigyn who forced her way into the room.

  “They’ve found you.” She stated, sounding out of breath and unnerved.

  “Who? Who’s found me?” Sygrid inquired, finding herself become more and more nervous. Sigyn gathered all of Sygrid’s books and clothes into her arms and placed them into Sygrid’s arms.

  “I’ll tell you when we see each other again. I want you to run to the next hall, but you need to hide in one of the doorways. Don’t let anyone see you, okay? Please tell me you understand me. Sygrid this is important.” Sygrid nodded and ran off. Sigyn waited until she was out of sight before snickering to herself and turning back into Loki, and the clone, wherever it was, disappeared. A maid who was passing by, however, saw him. This wasn’t exactly the plan, but it worked perfectly for Loki, who then used the woman to disguise as Sigyn, who would then take the blame.

  The maid didn’t seem to notice the magic that was being used on her, instead, she found herself panicking as Loki charged at her, grabbing ahold of her arm and dragging her to where Thor was searching.

  “What’s your name?” He inquired. She let out a shaky breath.

  “Erika.” She stated. He nodded and continued to bring her to Thor, who was running down the hall, toward the two.

  “I found them.” Loki stated, tossing the woman to the floor at Thor’s feet. He stared at her, watching as she pushed herself back up, only for Thor to back her up into a wall.

  “Please. Please have mercy I’m innocent.” She begged. Thor stared at her, his mind was st on her being guilty.

  “Don’t lie.” Thor told her. Loki walked behind Thor and placed his hand on his shoulder.

  “I saw her leave the room where the girl was being kept. I watched as she let her go. She ran down the hall.” Thor looked back at Loki.

  “Then go find her.” Loki nodded and backed away, but before he left, he made sure to keep the maid quiet about what she saw. He lifted a finger to his mouth before revealing a knife in his right hand. Erika looked away, holding back a sob.

  Loki walked down the hallway, looking for Sygrid. As he approached the doorway she was hiding in, she stepped out, naively hoping it was Sigyn. As soon as she was it was Loki, she began running again. Loki sighed and began to chase after her, placing a clone in front of her to slow her down or make her turn around. This, indeed, did stop her. She turned only to see that it was too late and he had caught up. He grabbed ahold of her arm.

  “Where’s lady Sigyn?” Sygrid asked. Loki let his grip loosen a bit, and Sygrid tugged her arm away, but she did not run.

  “I’m afraid Sigyn wasn’t who she seemed to be. She is a spy named Erika. We don’t know what she wanted with you, but we plan to find out.” Loki lied. Sygrid looked down, trying to process this news.

  “Why?” Sygrid muttered to herself. Loki didn’t hesitate to answer.

  “Perhaps she saw you in the throne room.” Sygrid’s eyes widened. The day she came there, when she threw the torch with her mind. The spy must have thought she could use her against the king. Overwhelmed by this experience, Sygrid began to cry. Loki pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, and smirking as he did so. They stayed like that for a few moments until Sygrid calmed herself. Loki looked at her and smiled. It was the same smile he gave to her the first time they met.

  “It’s going to be okay.” He reassured her. She nodded and he guided her down the hall, where Thor stood, speaking with guards. Sygrid flinched, attempting to run again, but Loki had an iron grip on her.

  “Thor.” He called. Thor turned around to see Loki and Sygrid, his expression lighting up.

  “I found her.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very dialog heavy chapter!

 “So, Sygrid, you knew this woman?” Thor asked as he handed her a cup of water. Sygrid nodded as she took a sip.

  “Yes.” She stated as she placed the cup down. She looked at Loki and then back to Thor.

  “She told me her name was Sigyn. I suppose that was a lie. She taught me English. I…” She trailed off as she looked at Loki again.

  “Look at me Sygrid.” She did.

  “She was your teacher?” Thor asked. Sygrid nodded.

  “Yes. I was taught to read and write by her. Loki had someone hire her. I don’t think anyone knew.” Sygrid explained. Thor looked over at Loki. He began to think to himself and wondered if Loki truly did have something to do with this.

  “Can I go back to my chambers now?” Sygrid asked. Thor shook his head and continued to pace.

  “You knew nothing of this, brother?” Thor asked. Loki shook his head.

  “Of course not! How could I have?” He snapped. Thor eyed him suspiciously as he tried to grasp the evidence that was presented to him. He crossed his arms and began to think to himself. _‘If Loki had hired someone to teach this girl English, then, he had spoken to her after she ran off the day she was brought here.’_ Thor looked over at his brother once more, pointing a finger at him.

  “You swear you aren’t lying?”

  “I swear.” Loki lied as he made his way next to Sygrid. Sygrid looked up at him, he looked back at her but with a much harsher gaze than earlier. She felt herself go cold, knowing that she had said something to upset him. Thor looked down and then back at the two of them.

  “Loki, take her back with you.” He demanded before rushing to the door.

  “I have to tell father.” He continued, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him. The room fell silent for a few moments after Thor left. Sygrid, who was becoming more and more uncomfortable as time went on, stood and walked to the door. Loki grabbed her hand as she reached for the door, causing her to look back at him, confused by his actions. She thought of what to say. She knew she might have said too much, and the last thing she wanted was to get on his bad side. She wasn’t sure what it was, but all she wanted was to get closer to him.

  “I’m sorry.” She apologized. Loki let go of her, but she did not leave. They stood there, staring at each other. Sygrid could feel tears burning in her eyes.

  “I didn’t mean to say that earlier. About how you had indirectly hired her.” Loki gave her a smile again, the same reassuring smile he had always given her, and this time she could feel her heart speed up. She wasn’t nervous that he would find her. They were in the same room; his attention was on her. She hadn’t felt this way in her life and yet… and yet she never wanted it to end.

  “It would have come out eventually, and I’d rather it come out of you than someone else.” He reassured her.

  “Like who?” She asked as he approached the door. He looked down at her again.

  “Someone who might want to hurt me.” He explained. Sygrid looked down as his hand made its way to the small of her back as he guided her out of the room. He led her out into the torch lit hallway. She looked up at him and, for some strange reason, she felt at ease. That is, until he took her down and unfamiliar hall. There weren’t as many doors down this hall, she noticed, and at the end of it was a staircase.

  “Loki?” She asked. He didn’t respond, instead he continued to guide her down the hall. She looked at him, trying to stop herself from moving further.

  “I thought you were taking me back to my chambers.” She stated innocently, genuinely confused by this turn of events. They stopped before the staircase, him standing in front of her with the full light of a nearby torch illuminating his features. Sygrid couldn’t bear looking him in the eyes for more than a few seconds.

  “Don’t you trust me?” Sygrid nodded.

  “I do but-”

  “Thor and I discussed where you’d be safest until this… sorceress… is taken care of. We didn’t want her hurting you, or worse.” He explained. Sygrid looked up the stairs, then back to him. Things were beginning to make more sense to her, but she still wanted to know where she was going.

  “Then where are you taking me?” She inquired.

  “To my chambers. Thor and I determined that you’d be safest there.” Sygrid’s breath caught in her chest as she gasped slightly. This was not what she had been expecting at all. Loki guided her up the stairs, eventually letting go of her hand as they ascended further.

  “And how is that going to keep me safe? What can you do that guards can’t do?” She asked, following him up the steps. He stopped and turned to face her, a smirk on his face. The full moon shone through the window situated between them, creating a lovely contrast to the harsh light from the torches on the walls.

  “There’s plenty you don’t know about me, lady Sygrid.” He states bluntly. She eyes him wearily as he continues to climb the many steps to the next hall. She hesitantly follows him.

  “How do I know you aren’t working for her?” She continued. This made Loki laugh to himself.

  “You don’t.” He taunted. Sygrid stopped in her tracks, not taking this statement lightly. Despite Loki’s joking manner, this joke would fly over Sygrid’s head for two reasons: her upbringing and her current situation. On Cretia, everything said was literal. Even though Sygrid had a good grasp on Asgardian sarcasm, she was still rather paranoid. Not only did she find out that the woman who had been watching over her and teaching her was not who she seemed to be, but she was trying to manipulate Sygrid as well. It was all rather shocking for her, and now the one person she thought she could trust was joking about him siding with this woman. She followed him again.

  “Can you not say things like that?” She begged. He looked back at her with a smirk, choosing not to respond this time. Within a matter of seconds, they finally made it to the hallway where Loki’s room was located. Sygrid noticed once again how empty the corridor was, with a significant lack of doors once more. Instead, there was a single door at the end of the hall, torches located on either side of it, giving the walls beside the oak door a golden look, like the rest of the area. Yet, despite the golden gleam, there was something almost ominous about the doorway.

  Loki continued to lead her down the hall, past several windows that gave a view of nothing but trees, darkness, and slivers of the silver moonlight. They were silent, only the sounds of their feet against the stone echoed in the corridor. They stopped in front of the door, and Loki gave Sygrid a quick glance out of the corner of his eye, only to see that she was still looking down. Several thoughts rushed through his head during that one moment, feelings that he could almost identify as guilt. It was the way she looked. He assumed it was because she had hoped to roam as she pleased, she wanted to be free. That last thing she’d want was to be locked in a room again, right? From that brief glance he saw how she felt. She seemed timid and scared, yet disappointed and almost sad as well.

  He opened the door and let her walk in first.

  Her eyes widened at the sheer size of the room. It was nearly double, possibly even triple the size of her previous room. She immediately realized what she was getting herself into just by looking around. Everything was so much more luxurious than anything she’d laid her eyes on in the past. The curtains on his canopy bed were pulled back and tied to the posts, and she could now see the bed itself. She didn’t have to touch the blankets to know how soft they are. The number of pillows was more than she ever had in her life. There was a small couch below the windowsill. It was a dark green color and looked like it was made of velvet. A doorway at the end of the room seemed to lead to another room, which she walked toward, only to find out it was a bathroom.

  “Like what you see?” Loki whispered in her ear, causing her to jump. She turned around, her hand placed on her chest.

  “Did I scare you?” He asked tauntingly.

  “Of course you did!” She shouted. He chuckled to himself and walked toward the window, closing the curtains and shutting out any light that might have gotten in before. The room was pitch black, forcing Sygrid to stay in the exact same spot she was in out of fear of tripping over something. Loki took her hand in his again. His cold flesh enveloping her hand as he guided her toward his nightstand next to his bed. With his free hand, he located the matches and lit one, bringing it toward the wick of the candle to light it. The two of them could finally see, and Sygrid felt herself become uncomfortable at how close they were to his bed.

  “You need to rest.” He told her. She tried to walk to the couch, but Loki hadn’t let go of her hand.

  “I was going to lay down.” She said to him. He smiled at her again.

  “You can sleep here.” He said, gesturing to his bed. She furrowed her eyebrows.

  “But… where will you sleep?” She inquired. He let go of her hand and began to untie the curtains.

  “On the couch over there.” He told her while gesturing to the couch below the window. Sygrid looked at the bed and shook her head.

  “I can’t let you-”

  “I’ll be fine.” He said. Sygrid sat on the bed as Loki approached. He untied the curtain on her right side before moving to the other one.

  “Why are you doing this?” She asked. He looked at her, waiting for her to finally lay down.

  “Does there have to be a reason?” He retorted. This made Sygrid think. She never thought of it that way. Her whole life she’s had to wonder whether a genuine act of kindness was a part of some sick game in the long run. But for once she can be at ease. Or at least she hoped she could.

  “I still have to get changed.” She told him. He stopped untying the curtain and looked at her.

  “Aren’t you already in a nightgown?” He asked. She looked down at herself and smiled sheepishly.

  “I’ve been wearing this for the past couple days…” She explained. He finally untied the last tie, but he held the drapes open.

  “Then you can wear it again.” He told her as he blew out the candle and let go of the curtain, leaving Sygrid alone in the dark.

 

2

 

   Erika sat on the cold, damp, stone floor of her cell. Her knees were brought to her chest

 as she shivered. Her long, red hair was wet and clung to her face awkwardly. Guards stood on either side of the cell door, holding their weapons close to their chests, ready to attack if needed. They were told that she was dangerous. They were told that she was a powerful enchantress. But she wasn’t. She was innocent.

  Her throat was raw from her begging. She had been begging all night, pleading for the guards to understand that she was innocent. Yet, she knew they wouldn’t listen to her. **Her** word against the princes’? There was no way they’d believe her! Erika looked up. The moon above her was red; as red as the hair on her head. If she tried anything, they’d blame it on witchcraft. She’d be doomed. Her head dropped once more as she sobbed into her knees.

  Footsteps echoed in the hall and the guards shifted positions. Perhaps it was Odin coming to pardon her… Erika could have laughed at this thought. There were a few murmurs… whispers. Then louder steps. Someone was running. Erika jumped as the cell’s bars rattled. The shadow of a person loomed over her small form.

  “Erika.” A voice called. She looked up slowly, unsure of whether it was the right move.

  “I’m sorry, Erika.” Tears filled her eyes again. Her father stood on the other side of her prison, gripping onto the bars. Erika stood slowly, approaching him just as cautiously as she stood.

  “Father?” Her hand reached out to touch his fingers. He nodded. She rushed toward the door and clung to the bars.

  “Why do you apologize?” She inquired.

  “I shouldn’t have sent you here.” He explained. Erika shook her head and placed her hand on his.

  “You wouldn’t have known.” She reassured him. He groaned and pushed himself away from the bars, pacing around in a drunken stupor.

  “I knew we couldn’t trust them.” He nearly shouted. Erika shook her head again.

  “Father it isn’t your fault! The sorceress is still out there, I know it. And when the Allfather finds her my name will be cleared. Justice will be served, father.” She attempted to calm him down, but he refused to listen. His hands were closed into fists as he continued to pace, anger boiling and rising within him.

  “It’s their fault in the first place!” He exclaimed. Erika jumped back as her father clung to the cell door again, this time looking more crazed than she’d ever seen him before.

  “I’ll make sure you get out of this, darling. You just wait. I’ll show that Cretian bitch what sorcery really is.” He spat between gritted teeth. Erika became fearful. Surely the foreign girl had nothing to do with this, and perhaps she would help her clear her name. _‘Only time will tell.’_ She reminded herself as she sat back down in the middle of the floor, and the guards returned to their places after throwing her drunk father out of the dungeons.

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

     Dawn in Asgard seemed to be something out of a painting. Golden rays of sunshine cascaded down onto the treetops that decorated the horizon for miles and miles. The sky seemed unreal, with its brilliant shades of pink, purple, and blue. The cities were quiet, as were the streets, while the Asgardian population slept.

  Weeks had gone by since Erika was arrested. The charges were still up for debate. Some advisors suggested the simple crime of kidnapping, and that was all. Others, on the other hand, wanted her to be charged with conspiring against the Allfather himself. However, Sygrid, the supposed victim, had no say in the matter.

  Sygrid gripped Dreki Fang in her right hand, preparing to swing. Her opponent stepped to her right, dodging the swing effectively. With her staff, she hit Sygrid’s knee, causing her to fall.

  “Always expect the unexpected, Sygrid.” She stated calmly. Sygrid stood and watched as her instructor circled her. She was calm, showing no signs of smugness or being disappointed. Instead, she wore the face of a warrior. She was unpredictable. Sygrid stood still, Dreki Fang in both of her hands this time. She closed her eyes and listened, she felt around her without moving her hands. She searched for something; anything.

  “Perhaps we should review our last lesson a bit more.” Sygrid saw her stop behind her, despite not actually looking at her. The air moved around her staff as she raised it, and Sygrid spun around, slicing through the wood immediately. Her instructor looked at the splintered weapon with wide, brown eyes. Then she returned her gaze to Sygrid, who looked strikingly similar to Rikka in that moment. Her blonde hair wild and covering half of her face as she rested on one knee. But her instructor knew not to take this as her resting, no, this was her getting ready to attack once more. She let out a breathy laugh as she pulled the broken staff in front of her to use as some sort of nunchucks.

  Sygrid jumped up, practically pouncing at the experienced Valkyrie. Her instructor dodged again, but before she could even think about knocking Sygrid down again, Sygrid managed to kick her down after the dodge, and as she sat up, she realized that Sygrid already had her blade beside her throat. All she could do is laugh.

  “So, you finally managed to defeat me.” She says as Sygrid lowers her blade, smiling proudly. She held out her hand for her instructor to take, helping her up after she took it. She stopped to look at her. The daughter of Rikka was finally beginning to live up to the title, and she could see so much of Rikka in her, it was almost saddening.

  “You really do remind me of your mother.” Her instructor said, a bittersweet smile on her face. Sygrid looked away, feeling the bitterness and resent that had built up in the past few years surface once more.

  “What’s wrong?” Asked the instructor. Sygrid waved her off, still not looking at her.

  “Nothing.” She answered hastily. The two stood in silence for a few moments as Sygrid’s brief answer sunk in. Her instructor reached for Dreki Fang, which Sygrid handed over without a problem, before she placed it in a chest. After this was done, the instructor decided to break the silence.

  “I suppose I will need to use a real sword next time.” She stated as she dropped the remaining pieces of the staff. They fell to the stone floor with a hollow sounding _THUD!_ Sygrid looked over her shoulder and smiled.

  “You most certainly will.” She told her in a smug sounding tone. She began to walk away, but stopped when a question crossed her mind. _‘What was my mother like before she was taken?’_ She thought to herself. She didn’t dare speak these words aloud. There was an aching feeling left behind as she realized that the woman she knew on Cretia was not the same woman the Asgardians knew. And that was a haunting thought for her. What would happen if they knew what Rikka truly did? Would they believe her? Or would they accuse her of spreading lies?

  “Do you need assistance going back to your quarters?” Her instructor asked. Sygrid looked over to one of the pillars that stood before the exit and she smiled to herself.

  “I should be fine.” She said before walking off.

  “Were you actually reading the whole time or have you been spying on me?” Sygrid inquired, causing the dark-haired prince to look up from his book. He offered her a small smile, hoping she’d believe his lie.

  “What would I gain from spying on your training sessions?” He asked in his usual sarcastic sounding tone. Sygrid shrugged, smiling once more.

  “What couldn’t you gain from it?” She retorted. He closed his book and placed it on the ledge next to him, his smile dropping for the moment.

  “Court is being held for the maid today. Odin sent me to find you.” He stopped when he saw the look of fear on her face. He grabbed ahold of her hand, his cold flesh enveloping hers for a moment as he tried to comfort her.

  “They only want you to testify, you aren’t in trouble.” He reassured her. She nodded, opting not to say a word, and kept her head down. Loki placed his fingers below her chin and had her look up at him. He didn’t say anything at first, instead, he looked at her. Her eyes were watery, and she already had shed a tear. He could feel her hands tremble in his own. He let go of her hands and brought his own hands to her face, where he wiped away her tears away.

  “I don’t want to mess up. What if I say something-”

  “You won’t. Trust me. They just want you to talk about where she kept you and what she said to you. That’s all.” Sygrid nodded and he pulled her into a hug.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He told her. Sygrid felt herself become breathless at his words and the fluttering feeling returned to her.

  “And the same for you.” She promised. From where she was, she couldn’t see his smile after she said this.

 

2

 

  Court on Asgard was vastly different than on Cretia. The people of Cretia would often file into arenas to watch their demented version of a court. On Asgard, however, it was just the Allfather, the defendant, a witness or two, guards, and three or four spectators. Sygrid stood on the opposite side of the room from Loki, who couldn’t have been less interested in what was going on, or so it seemed. No one seemed to realize that, despite the book that he held in his hands which he seemed to be engrossed in, he was listening to every word spoken.

  Erika stood before Odin, her hands and feet shackled. The court remained quiet. Thor stood next to Loki, his arms crossed as he observed the accused again. He tried to imagine the woman Sygrid described over her form, but couldn’t seem to do it. The girl before them seemed timid and didn’t look like she’d know how to perform a spell, let alone cast the spells used as she tried to manipulate Sygrid.

  In the back of the room, Erika’s father lurked and watched angrily as his daughter pleaded her case to the Allfather. He would wait until Sygrid gave her word, then, he’d find her after the trial… and after that…

 “Erika Haskelldottir, you are being charged with kidnapping Sygrid Craiinedottir, and conspiring against the crown. How do you plead?” Asked Odin. Erika took a deep breath before speaking loudly and clearly.

  “Not guilty.” She announced. Odin leaned back slightly before speaking again.

  “Then explain.”

  “Please Allfather, you must understand. I’ve never performed a spell in my life. I worked on my parents’ farm as a young girl, then they sent me here to work as a maid. I would have had no time to learn witchcraft at any point in my life!” Erika declared. Odin glanced over at Sygrid, then back to Erika.

  “Then you’re calling this woman a liar.” He told her. Erika looked around the room.

  “I don’t know what she saw, but what I do know is that I’ve been set up by the real mastermind behind all of this! I was simply passing by and open door when all of a sudden I was taken by a glimmer. When I looked down again my hair was black. I didn’t have any time to think, because the prince had already found me and grabbed me by then. Before I knew it I was being delivered to prince Thor and some guards. I think the real enchantress was hiding somewhere in the room and saw me come by and decided to use me as a cover up.” Erika explained. Odin glanced over at Loki after the new evidence was brought to light, but, he knew that he couldn’t jump to conclusions.

  “Let the girl up.” Odin ordered. Two guards moved out of the way for Sygrid as she walked toward where Erika was standing. She stopped next to her and faced Odin.

  “Did the accused ever come to you looking like she does now?” Odin asked. Sygrid shook her head.

  “No.” She stated.

  “Could you describe how she looked when she came to you?” He inquired.

  “She had long black hair, and she was pale. She had green eyes and was slightly taller than me.” Sygrid admitted.

  “You see?” Erika shouted out.

  “The woman looked nothing like me.” She continued.

  “Silence!” Odin boomed. Erika visibly shrank back at his outburst. Odin turned his attention back to Sygrid.

  “When did you first meet her?” He inquired, causing Sygrid to go numb. She looked down and quickly thought of a lie.

  “The first day I was here. I was in the gardens and I… I couldn’t understand anything that was going on. She found me wandering alone and was actually able to communicate with me. She offered to teach me to speak English, and I accepted. I… I didn’t know she was going to take me away. She wouldn’t let me open the curtains or leave my quarters. She had me right where she wanted me.” Sygrid lied. After she was sure Odin wasn’t looking at her, she glanced at Loki, who was still reading. As she had promised earlier, she would protect him, but now they’d have to explain to Thor.

  “Allfather please, that is not true!” Exclaimed Erika.

  “The day she arrived I was cleaning in the kitchens! I was never in the gardens.” Erika stated.

  “Was anyone in the kitchens that day? Someone we could summon here to confirm this.” Erika looked down, feeling all hope fade from her.

  “No.” She told him.

  “Prove to us that you cannot perform spells, and you are free.” Odin stated, causing Erika to look up happily.

  “Gladly, Allfather.” She looked down and took a deep breath, and for a few moments nothing happened… until the glimmer appeared around her. Her eyes shot open as she felt the familiar magic. She looked down at her hands which were now much paler than they were before, they shot up to her hair, which had turned as black as the night sky. Her eyes became the piercing green that Sygrid had described, and now, Erika was damned.

  There were a few gasps from all around after the transformation was done. Erika looked down again, this time too ashamed to face the Allfather. The illusion faded again to reveal her regular self once more. There was no convincing anyone after that, she had to have been the sorceress. Erika felt hot tears burning behind her closed eyelids. Murmurs erupted from within the throne room.

  “No!” Shouted a voice from the back of the room. Her father rushed to the front and got as close as he could.

  “My daughter is not a witch, she’s a good girl. She’d never plot against you!” He exclaimed, his voice cracking with sadness. Loki finally closed his book and looked at Haskell.

  “But she did kidnap that poor girl.” He said to the distressed man. Haskell turned to face Loki, angrily pointing and preparing to shout, but he was interrupted by Odin.

  “Take her away!” Shouted Odin. Guards came behind Erika on either side of her and grabbed her arms. The sounds of rattling chains and her screaming echoed through the throne room as she was dragged away. Her father burst into tears as he watched his daughter get taken away, and deep down he knew it would be the last time he’d see her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof shorter chapter.

  Thor couldn’t believe the words coming out of Sygrid’s mouth. Just a few weeks ago, after she was found, she had told him that Loki had seen her in the gardens. It was his idea to find her a teacher. Now she claimed it was Erika who found her. She lied.

  She lied to Odin and now an innocent woman is going to pay for it. As soon as everyone was dismissed, Thor found himself wearily eyeing Sygrid and Loki, noting how they were leaving together. It didn’t exactly surprise him, after all, it was their idea to leave her with him, however, the way she blatantly lied up there suggested there was something else going on. When he was sure they were a good distance away, he began to follow them.

  They seemed to be awfully close, which seemed odd. Of course, it was kind of expected… but this was a different kind of closeness. It was the way she’d look at him, and the way he’d smile at her, the way their hands brushed against each other. Perhaps they didn’t know what was going on, but Thor could see it, and he knew that Odin had to have seen it as well. He thought through his plan: confront Loki, then Odin. Simple as that.

  He followed them through the palace, through the winding corridors where the two whispered with each other as they made their way back to their quarters. Thor would find himself wondering what it was that they were whispering about and would, at times, physically lean forward, as if it would help him hear them.

  After some amount of time, they reached the hallway where their room was located, and as they stopped, Thor hid in a doorway. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to them… or when he would bring this up. After seeing the two together, he figured that just barging in wouldn’t be the best idea, so he waited.

  He heard Sygrid giggle once more, followed by footsteps and then a door opening. Immediately, he felt the urge to turn around. Leave them be for the moment and then ask them later, but, he realized that this matter couldn’t wait. A potentially innocent girl is in prison and he needed to get to the bottom of this.

  As he left the doorway, Loki stepped out in front of him.

  “Why are you following us?” He demanded. Thor glared at his brother.

  “She lied, in front of everyone nonetheless. Although, I don’t know why I’m surprised considering how well you two seem to have been getting along.” Thor stated, causing Loki to let out a breathy laugh.

  “And how do you know she didn’t lie to you?” He asked. Thor grabbed Loki by his collar and pushed him into the wall.

  “Don’t use your mind games on me, Loki! She was innocent before staying with you.” He let go of him and backed away.

  “I’m doubting she even knew what a lie was before meeting you.” Thor muttered. Loki straightened himself out and began to walk toward his door, but he stopped halfway and turned around.

  “So you blame me for her sudden change? You hardly knew her.” Loki told him. Thor opened his mouth to argue, but opted to walk away instead. He truly did not want to start an argument over this girl. He only wanted Loki to know that he was onto him and the games he might be playing.

  After Thor had descended the stairs, a scream echoed in the hallway, coming from behind Loki, followed by the sound of a body dropping. Loki rushed to his room.

 

2

 

 

  Sygrid sat in their room, on Loki’s bed as she waited for him. He told them that they were being followed by someone, but not who was following them. She patiently awaited him and hoped that he was okay. Although she was certain she would never admit it aloud, she found herself falling in love with Loki. It was a strange and foreign feeling for her, considering for most of her life she’d only felt fear and remorse, and it wasn’t until recently that she felt happiness. It was the way he’d make her feel at ease and the way he gave her space when she needed it… she wondered how she couldn’t fall for him.

  Not to mention the other night they nearly slept in the same bed as each other.

  As Thor and Loki argued in the hallway, a man climbed through their window. When he dropped into the room, Sygrid looked over. Of course, she was used to Loki’s magic and any tricks he might try to pull on her, but this man looked nothing like Loki. He wore a cloak which covered all of his upper body and came down to about mid-thigh. He was hunched over in an almost animalistic manner and reeked of alcohol. His shadow stretched ominously across the stone floor. He stood there for a few moments and observed the woman that sat upon the bed, before determining that she was the one he was after. She seemed extremely nervous and confused, which pleased the man greatly. He stalked in the shadows, unnerving Sygrid even more. He began to move toward her, pulling out a knife which glimmered in the moonlight.

  He ran at her, causing her to scream, flinch, and instinctively fling him across the room with the flick of her hand. He hit the wall and fell to the floor, out cold. Sygrid stood up and cautiously moved toward the man. Everything was quiet, eerily quiet. The fact that the man wasn’t moving worried her deeply. She feared she had killed him. She reached out to touch him, to see if there was still some life in him, but the door swung open and startled her, which caused her to stagger away from the body.

  Loki stormed into the room, obviously on edge. He looked down at the cloaked man then back at Sygrid before rushing to her side. He kneeled down and grabbed ahold of her shoulders. He looked at her and noticed how scared she looked. He then turned his head to look at the downed man. The only thing that could be heard in the room was Sygrid’s heavy, gasping breaths. He looked back to her.

  “I think I killed him…” She whispered to him, tears filling her eyes. Loki helped her back to her feet and pulled her closer to him.

  “What happened?” He asked her.

  “He came through the window with a knife. He tried to kill me.” She explained. Loki had her look up at him before, finally, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. She wasn’t quite sure what to do at first, her worry was still present but… she felt it fade away in that moment. In that moment, she relaxed and let him take over. She noticed how he held her closer, and how desperate the kiss seemed in general. Was he worried about her? Did he really care?

  She grasped at his arms and finally kissed back.

  He ended up pulling away after a few more moments, and the two of them simply stared at each other. Sygrid seemed even more breathless, her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. This potentially tender moment, however, was ruined by the groan of the man on the floor. Loki turned around to see the man begin to turn over, still not completely awake. He walked away from Sygrid and began to drag the man to the window. After this, he retrieved the man’s knife and went back to the man, before quickly stabbing him in the abdomen.

  “What are you doing?” Sygrid asked in a panicked voice. Loki looked back at her with an emotionless expression.

  “He fell on the knife.” He said simply. Sygrid rushed to Loki’s side as the man began to wake up. He groaned and struggled to breathe as he sat up. Loki, unafraid of the man, reached over and removed the hood. Sygrid gasped as she realized who it was.

  Haskell was sitting up completely now, his hands at the base of the knife’s handle and where the wound was. He took in a sharp breath, and the two realized that he was fully awake now. He looked over at them, confused yet angry, and tried to take the knife out of his stomach.

  “You’ll die if you do that. Sygrid…” Loki began. Sygrid looked at him.

  “Go get the guards.” She nodded and hurried off, leaving Haskell and Loki alone.

 

3

 

  Odin marched into the dungeons with guards surrounding him on either side. It was dark and damp within the prison, but this would not deter the king. Erika was seated against the cell wall, shriveled, defeated. She looked as if she was ready for whatever punishment was going to be dealt to her. She wouldn’t fight. She would let whatever happens happen, and hopefully, it wouldn’t result in death.

  The door was opened, and there stood Odin in all his glory. The guards still surrounded him, making sure he was safe when confronting this condemned sorceress. Erika did not move when the door opened. She hardly flinched. Her tired and water-logged eyes glided upward to look at the king, and she blinked slowly… emotionlessly.

  He knelt down beside her.

  “You’re being released. You are expected to return to your duties in two days.” He told her. She furrowed her eyebrows.

  “I thought I was…” She stopped speaking. Odin stood with a quiet laugh.

  “You’ve been set up. I know exactly who’s done this, and they will be punished.” He reassured her. The guards flooded around Odin and toward Erika, who they promptly lifted to her feet. She swayed slightly and nearly fell over, but she caught herself on the stones of the wall behind her. She knew that she was set up by the prince Loki, but she wondered if Odin knew that it was Loki behind all of this. However, she would not bring this point up out of fear of what the king’s reaction would be to this supposed accusation.

  Within the next few moments, Odin had left, and Erika was still standing in the dungeons… but she was free.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

   Erika made her way down the dirt path she hadn’t been down in years. There was a small cottage on the edge of the forest; a small plume of smoke rose from the stone chimney and told Erika that someone was home. The windows glowed a soft orange and reminded her of her childhood; memories that seemed surreal and distant after everything she’d been through. Erika practically ran the remaining distance to her home, excited to see her family once more. She couldn’t wait to feel the warmth of her home once more, to see her mother after years of not seeing her. She would get to spend two days at home before returning to the palace.

   The door swung open and revealed the small living room. A fire was burning in the fire place in front of the worn, green sofa and chair. A small, purple throw rug was on the floor, replacing the blue one from her childhood. In the single armchair that sat next to the window, Erika’s mother sat. She didn’t say anything to her daughter, in fact, she didn’t even turn around to acknowledge her presence. Erika immediately knew something was wrong. She rushed around the chair, between the sofa and chair’s armrests, and knelt down before her mother, grasping her hand.

  “Mother. Mother I’m home.” She told her in a happy and excited tone, a smile present on her face. Her mother, however, simply glanced down at her daughter with a cold gaze. It was the gaze of someone who might have lost a great deal in their life… but Erika knew that was not her mother. Her mother had everything she could ever dream of, and a steady income. This new attitude alarmed Erika.

  “What’s wrong? Aren’t you glad I’m home?” She inquired, hoping to get more of a reaction this time. Without warning, her mother burst into tears, ripping her hand from her daughter’s and quickly covering her eyes. Erika stood and placed her hands on her mother’s back before sitting beside her on the armrest. She sat in silence and waited for her mother to calm herself, offering only comfort to her.

  After her sobs had finally died down, she looked up at her daughter. Her eyes were red and puffy, with tears still falling as she blinked. Erika had never seen her mother in such a state before.

  “Your father has…” She stopped once more, taking a deep breath before continuing.

  “He’s been taken into the care of the healers. A terrible accident had occurred.” Erika couldn’t conceal her shock. Between what had happened in the dungeons and his reaction in the courtroom, she feared the worst. Perhaps the Cretian girl had done something to him. She felt her whole body tense, as if preparing itself for a potentially fatal blow.

  “What happened?” Erika managed to say.

  “They didn’t say how it happened, but all they said was he fell on a knife.” Fear shot through the girl as she remembered what her father had said to her in the dungeons. She put two and two together and soon realized that he attempted to assassinate the girl.

  “I thought I had lost the both of you.” Her mother lamented. Erika smiled solemnly and grasped her hands in hers.

  “I’m here mother. I’ll make sure something like this will never happen again.” She reassured her mother before pulling her into a hug, where her mother cried tears of both fear and joy. They remained that way for a good while as Erika waited for her mother to calm down once more. After the room had become relatively silent, Erika pulled away and offered a smile to her mother. She smiled back.

  “Will you be returning to the palace?” Her mother asked softly. Erika felt guilt wash over her. She couldn’t leave her mother like this but she had no choice.

  “I wish I could stay here, mother, I truly do, but the Allfather had told me that I had to return in two days.” Her mother nodded slowly at this statement. She didn’t even look at her daughter during her explanation, for she already knew the truth. Erika stood for a few moments, waiting for a response. Eventually her mother looked up at her. Her blue eyes were shining with tears again, but she wore a smile, as if Erika couldn’t tell that she was hurting from this.

  “I understand.” Her mother said as she took Erika’s hand in her own. Her grip was tight and desperate.

  “I love you, Erika.” She said. Erika knelt again, unsure of why her mother felt this had to be spoken. Erika knew that she had loved her unconditionally. Her mother’s thumbs rubbed against the back of her hand in a semi-comforting fashion.

  “I’m so sorry.” She apologized. Erika shook her head.

  “You have nothing to apologize for.” She tried to reassure her mother, but she knew that this wouldn’t help. She stood up, softly apologizing to her mother before hugging her and rushing off to her room. It looked the same as it had in her childhood, only now it seemed so much smaller. The windows were open and a soft breeze blew through the worn, red drapes. She slammed the door shut and leaned on it for a few moments before she, too, burst into tears.

2

 

  The next morning was an interesting one for both Sygrid and Loki. Not only was there a bleeding, drunken man on their floor just the night before, but they had done something that would change the way they looked at each other forever. He had kissed her, she kissed back. There was no way to avoid that, no way to step around it for the time being.

  Sygrid woke up in Loki’s arms, enveloped in his warmth. The morning was peaceful, as was every morning on Asgard.

  Loki had refused to leave her side after the guards had taken Haskell away to the healers. Of course, the man had underestimated her abilities, and he had seen what she could do. He was a liability. If word had gotten out about her, all he had planned would be wasted. Loki decided to make her think he was doing these things to keep her safe, after Haskell was taken away he insisted he sleep next to her for the night. She didn’t oppose this, in fact, she had welcomed it with open arms. She had fallen asleep snuggled up into him, and that was where she woke up.

  She turned around in his arms to face him. He was still sleeping peacefully next to her. She wasn’t sure what to do in this situation, she wanted to get up despite the fact that she had nothing planned for the day, but the feeling of merely being there with him was sweet and she wanted to stay there for the rest of the day. She loved him, and now she had the feeling that it was mutual. Sooner or later, she found herself dozing off again, a luxury she never had on Cretia. As the world around her and its small, faint sounds began to fade away, a voice spoke, pulling her out of her sleep-like state.

  “Good morning.” He said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. Her eyes opened and met his shining green ones.

  “How did you know I was awake?” He didn’t answer her. He brough his hand up to her cheek and gently caressed it with his thumb.

  “Are you okay? Last night was rather intense.” He asked her. She smiled at him.

  “I’m fine.” She told him before sitting up. He rested his hand over hers as he contemplated his next words. She seemed to be over the moon today, was he really ready to shoot that down? He had to be, there was no way around it.

  “We shouldn’t have done that.” He said as he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to stand. Sygrid nodded in agreement.

  “We really shouldn’t have, I mean the man was drunk and-”

  “Not that, Sygrid.” He told her. He moved toward the window, where Haskell was laying just the night before. Sygrid felt her heart drop at his words. She knew what he was talking about but she desperately wanted him to be talking about something else. She searched through her thoughts and couldn’t find anything.

  “What do you mean?” She finally managed to say. He glanced over at her, she was still sitting in bed, the sheets pooled around her thighs. She tried her hardest to hide how hurt she felt, but it wasn’t working. He could see it in her eyes.

  “We can’t do this, Sygrid.” He gave his unsatisfying answer. She shook her head, feeling the familiar sting of tears in her eyes.

  “Can’t do what? Loki, I’m not sure if you know this but, from the day I met you, there was hardly a day I didn’t think of you. And now that I’m here… Loki, I can’t breathe. If you’re suffering as much as I am please… tell me.” She explained. Her feelings were tricky, not only for her but for those around her, and Loki was no exception. He walked over to her, not saying a word. Sygrid could feel her heart break. She knew that she shouldn’t have fallen for him, she knew that since the very beginning, months ago when she had first stayed with him.

  “I can’t.” He uttered.

  “We can’t… it’s just not possible.” He continued. Sygrid slid off of the bed and stood next to him.

  “Don’t say that.” She whispered.

  “We live in a real world, Sygrid, come back to it. You’re on your way to becoming a warrior, I’m a prince. At best this would seem scandalous, regardless of how we feel about each other.”

  “What if I didn’t want to be a warrior? None of you ever thought about that, did you? No. She’s the daughter of the great Rikka, she must want to be like her! I wouldn’t want to be like her ever! How could she be so great and simultaneously horrendous.” She snapped back. Loki couldn’t find the words to respond. He’d never asked about her mother, but mentioning Sygrid becoming a warrior must have struck a nerve with her. He was stunned. Finally, he found the words to respond.

  “That’s beside the point.” He said. The two sat in solemn silence. Sygrid didn’t have a comeback this time, because she knew. She knew that he was right, people would look down on them.

  “But you’ve never been one to care about reputation. Or, at least, not outwardly.”

  “It’s not me that cares.” He told her. She thought about other things, ways to make this work. Then it hit her. Like some of the books she had read, the ones about lovers, she realized what they could do.

  “We could keep it a secret.” She suggested. Loki took her hand and squeezed it gently.

  “We’d be living a lie. One that we couldn’t keep if we tried.” He told her. Sygrid couldn’t argue there either.

  “I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t live like that, could you?” He asked her. She smiled sadly, knowing what her answer was going to be.

  “If it meant I could be with you? Undoubtedly. Yes.” She told him. He never expected this to be that easy. He had her right where he wanted her, she was desperate. She would do anything to be with him, and now he wondered what she’d do **for** him.

  “I didn’t say anything at first, because I wasn’t sure what to think of it. I loved you, Loki. I still do. I didn’t know what this feeling was, so I refused to say or ask about it. But I’m certain of it now.” She continued. He shook his head.

  “You don’t have to tell me this, I believe you.” He smiled. He pulled her into a hug before whispering in her ear.

  “And the feeling is mutual.”

 

3

 

   With those five words, the two had sworn to keep their relationship a secret. They would rush off to his quarters, or to an empty corridor like two lovesick teens. They were inseparable when they went to places together, which would cause a few problems, but Loki had answers to whatever questions anyone would have.

  “She’s my personal guard.” He’d lie.

  “I’ve seen her train, she’s quite capable of keeping me safe.” And, despite the few who-understandably- wouldn’t believe him, the questions died down after a while. They weren’t completely off the hook, but it was close enough.

  However, Haskell was in horrible condition. After a month of fighting, he had finally succumbed to his wound, which was particularly odd. Normally such a wound would be no problem for the healers, but it would reappear within a day after it was sealed up. Only it would get worse. The flesh around it was charred and blistering, like the knife he was stabbed with had been on fire. It was an anomaly.

   Shortly after the news, Erika’s mother had committed suicide, and Erika couldn’t be there to stop it.


	9. Chapter 9

The water along the lake glimmered as the sun hit it. It looked as if it were made of liquid crystal that rippled ever so slightly at the gentlest of breezes. A few clouds hovered above the lovely scenery with a texture that looked like a fine cotton, drifting by lazily across the beautiful, blue skies. Large, sturdy mountains stood on the horizon, as green as the trees bordering on the lake’s shores. The colors were vibrant and dream-like. The roaring sounds of a distant waterfall filled the air, creating a serene atmosphere for the couple who were currently residing in the lakeside property.

  Sygrid gently placed her hand on the balcony’s stone railing as she looked over the gorgeous Asgardian scenery. She had been in Asgard for quite a bit of time now, she had lost count of the years, but despite this fact, her breath was taken away. It always was. She supposed it was because of the situation she was in. This wasn’t merely a visit to the lake, no, she was staying with the man she felt was the love of her life.

  She stood there, adorned in a beautiful silk gown, looking out over the lake. Her eyes were wide and shining, much like the dancing waters before her. She looked no different than she had when he first met her. She was still beautiful and curious. Still his. He sat on the bed, watching her gape over the view. He stood up and began to walk toward her. She had been up hours before him watching the sun rise over the mountains.

  He leaned against the wall, watching her. She turned around after hearing him approach, smiling widely. A warm breeze gently blew through her hair, making her curls whip around softly. The outside world seemed to echo how the duo were feeling on the inside: peaceful and happy.

  “Are you always up this early?” He asked her playfully. She couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at his words. Her gaze returned back to the lake.

  “Not always. No.” She muttered, almost to herself. She leaned forward, placing her head on her hand, leaning on the balcony.

  “The birds here are rather loud… I don’t believe I’ve heard anything quite like them. We never had birds on…” Sygrid stopped and let her hand drop. She promised herself she wouldn’t think of Cretia, but she often found herself comparing Asgard to the only other place she’d ever known.

  “There were these… loud creatures called _“Daené.”_ They were almost reptilian, but they couldn’t fly. Not like the birds.” As she spoke, birds flew overhead, grouped together in their small flocks; their wings beating rapidly as they flew. Her eyes followed them as they soared through the air. She glanced next to her for a moment as Loki joined her, standing beside her and watching the water flow endlessly from the top of the mountain ahead of them.

  “Do you ever think it’ll dry?” Sygrid asked quietly. He turned his attention to her, realizing she wasn’t watching the birds anymore.

  “What?”

  “The waterfall. Do you think it’ll ever dry up?” He wasn’t sure how to respond to this. He knew it probably had something to do with Cretia, but he knew better than to pry into it. A small smile made its way onto his lips. He placed his hand in the curve of her back.

  “Perhaps it will the day I’m without you.” He stated. She smiled at this.

  The clouds overhead began to darken and drifted in front of the sun. Long shadows were suddenly cast over the land and the breeze began to pick up. Sygrid furrowed her eyebrows and stood up straight.

  “It’s going to rain. I’m going inside, if you want you can join me.” She said innocently enough. To any other person, this phrase would be harmless, but Loki knew what she meant. The look in her eyes told him what she wanted, so, he followed her in without hesitation.

 

2

 

  Loki sat in the den, dressed in nothing but an oversized linen shirt. His mind was still a bit clouded, and he was still half asleep. The rain came in rather quick, and him and Sygrid went to bed shortly afterwards. She had fallen asleep after their afternoon fun, as did he. It was probably around six o’clock now, but she was still in bed, sleeping soundly through the storm. Now he sat, reading, in his hands was a letter, from Thor, documenting some strange adventure he had chosen to go on. Loki couldn’t care less, but after bearing through the boring parts of the letter, he finally found the important part: Odin was requesting that him and Sygrid return home at once.

  Immediately, he felt a sinking feeling within him.

  Had Odin found out about them? Why did it matter so much if he did?

  After he finished reading the letter, he got up and threw it into the fire place, where it curled and caught fire. All evidence of Thor’s letter was reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds. Loki refused to return until his business in the Riverlands was finished. The scenery was perfect and peaceful, no one was there to distract him or Sygrid, he couldn’t leave now.

  He could hear Sygrid stirring in the bedroom, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she woke up. He wondered if it would be too suspicious of him to not be there when she did wake.

  She laid in their large bed, covered only by the pale blue silk sheets. Somehow she managed to look both sinful and angelic at the same time. Loki stared at her for a few moments, trying to figure out where exactly he was in his plan. Never in his life had he felt so lost. Sygrid was naïve, yes, but he knew she wasn’t stupid. She had spent enough time with other Asgardians to know his M.O. She might not have been as in love with him as he thought or planned, so he had to be careful.

  Quietly, he slipped back under the sheets with her. He laid on his side, staring at her as she slept. His fingers gently traced along her shoulder and she turned over. Her eyes fluttered open and scanned him closely. She seemed lost only for a moment, but this all melted away with a small smile. She inched closer to him and allowed him to wrap his arms around her smaller form. Her heart swelled with love, that much she knew. She had fallen in love with him, and being alone in the Riverlands with him was all she could have asked for; all she could have hoped for.

  The storm outside had gotten worse. Thunder boomed in the distance and, every now and then, lightning would strike nearby. The rain came down heavy, loudly, and endlessly. The constant pounding from the raindrops echoed throughout the house. The rain relentlessly beat on the windows and glass doors to the balcony. Lightning crackled right next to the house, which caused thunder to roar loudly and shake the glass. Sygrid jumped at this, clinging a bit tighter to Loki. She let out a shaky breath that sounded like a laugh.

  “I didn’t expect that.” She giggled to herself.

  “Perhaps your brother is mad.” She suggested, not being able to see the change in Loki’s expression. He didn’t respond, instead, he found himself becoming lost in his thoughts. He brought his lips to her forehead and placed a small, loving kiss.

  Laying there with her in his arms, he knew that he had gotten what he wanted.

 

3

 

  Thor had been watching Loki and Sygrid very closely since he returned from Vanaheim. He had caught word that they ran off together to stay in the Riverlands, and he had found them there, just as the rumors said.

  That morning, Sygrid was the first to rise, and she watched the sun rise. She seemed happy and content, which made Thor happy as well. It was nice to see her adjust to her new life, even if it wasn’t as new as it used to be. When Loki joined her he seemed to be the same way. It was an odd sight for Thor, to see his brother so happy. He wondered for a brief moment if this was too good to be true. Could it be that his brother found someone?

  Loki had left her for a brief moment to get something, and that was when Thor realized it was too good to be true.

  “Brother.” Thor interrupted. Loki jumped slightly before turning around to face Thor.

  “What-”

  “I’ve come home. I heard that you and Sygrid ran off and I came to find you.” He explained. Loki simply nodded.

  “I didn’t think that our lack of presence would be noticed.” Thor chuckled at his remark and crossed his arms.

  “Really. You two have so many rumors surrounding you, it’s hard to believe that you would go unnoticed.” Thor told him, bewildered. Loki rolled his eyes at this.

  “We’ve been out here for a while. I’m surprised it took **_you_** this long to figure it out. I knew you were dense, brother but-”

  “I’ve been out. Father’s been sending me all over the nine realms.” They went silent for a few moments. Thor knew that he had to tell him, but after seeing Loki with her, he couldn’t bring himself to deliver the news. In truth, not only had he heard from the people of Asgard, but he heard from Odin about it too. Odin wanted them back in the city; Loki in the palace and Sygrid training. He knew that he had written it in a letter, but he wasn’t sure if Loki had received it yet.

  “I sent a letter. You might not have gotten it yet but I really think you should read it.” Thor told him. Loki nodded.

  “I’ll see you later, brother.” Thor bid him farewell before leaving. Little did he know, Loki would read the letter and his warning a day later and ignore his warning.


End file.
